The Early Lead: January 23, 2011 - January 29, 2011

A prominent U.S. chemist featured in a Sports Illustrated doping expose last week on Lance Armstrong fired back this week, charging that the story "lack[s] credibility" and "misrepresents the truth." Don Catlin, the nation's pre-eminent anti-doping scientist, accused the two...

Updated at 6:50 p.m. The Baltimore Ravens have fired Jim Zorn after one season as the team's quarterbacks coach, according to multiple reports. The firing, Jamison Hensley of the Baltimore Sun reports, came after a long meeting between Coach John...

This is what passes for controversy with the Green Bay Packers. When plans were made for the official team photo, players who are on the injured-reserve list were not included. Two of those guys, Nick Barnett and Jermichael Finley, did...

The Capitals have signed right wing Alexander Semin to a one-year contract extension, the team has announced. The deal reportedly is worth $6.7 million. Semin, 26, has 18 goals and 17 assists in 39 games. He is tied for the...

As labor disagreements go, the one between the NFL and NFL Players Association is ground-breaking -- and it's only getting started. Instead of private talks in a secured room with only a few chosen occupants, this dustup is playing out...

Updated at 8 a.m. Now Roger Federer goes the way of Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open. Novak Djokovic beat Federer 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 6-4 in a semifinal in Melbourne, a day after Nadal also was bounced from the tournament...

Two University of Iowa football players said they had gone through exceptionally strenuous workouts in the days before they and 10 other Hawkeye players were hospitalized in Iowa City, according to a report in the Des Moines Register. All are...

How good a politician is President Barack Obama? So good that when Air Force One touched down in Wisconsin and he was handed an autographed Green Bay Packers jersey, the Chicaco Bears fan grinned. Sure, he's probably thinking, "I've...

The body of a man believed to be the brother of Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed was recovered from the Mississippi River near New Orleans on Tuesday evening. Brian Reed, 29, was last seen jumping into the river as he...

Rafael Nadal is in apparent pain as he stretches his left leg. (William West/AFP/Getty Images) Updated at 6:19 and 10:26 a.m. There'll be no Rafa Slam for Rafael Nadal. David Ferrer ended Nadal's pursuit of his fourth consecutive Grand...

Updated at 7:07 p.m. Twelve University of Iowa football players have been hospitalized in Iowa City for treatment of a kidney condition, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette. The players are recovering from rhabdomyolysis, an exercise-induced breakdown of muscle fibers...

John C. Stone, sporting the necktie in question. (WGN) When it came time to dress for work Monday morning, John C. Stone, a big Green Bay Packers fan, did what any self-respecting Packers fan would do the day after...

Herschel Walker, a Heisman Trophy winner and Pro Bowl running back, is 48 years old now, but he doesn't seem to be entirely kidding when he says he'd like to give the NFL another go. "I've told everyone that at...

Katie Carrera and Eric Prisbell joined LaVar Arrington, and host Jonathan Forsythe on this week's webcast to discuss the NFL championship games, how fun the NHL All-Star Game captains picks might be, take a midseason look at the Capitals, and...

It was funny. It was clever. It was sly by the standards of the usual NFL pregame smackfest. But Wes Welker says he regrets his deft references to feet and the New York Jets. For those comments, Welker was benched...

There's a new wrinkle in the never-ending saga of Washington D.C. uniform failures: this one was self-inflicted. Kevin Seraphin of the Wizards committed the unpardonable fashion faux pas of wearing his shorts backward Monday night against the Knicks in Madison...

Forget Disney World. Cornerback Charles Woodson has one destination in mind if his Green Bay Packers win Super Bowl XLV: the White House. Woodson had not forgotten that President Barack Obama is a Chicago Bears fan who'd vowed to go...

Updated at 4:55 p.m. Chicago Bears Coach Lovie Smith lashed out at the "just-add-tweets-and-stir" criticism of quarterback Jay Cutler, who was knocked out of the NFC championship game Sunday with a knee injury. "I haven't seen it before. It seems...

The Cleveland Browns' request to interview special teams coach Danny Smith was denied by the Redskins, according to Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network. Smith's contract is expiring, but sources have told the Post's Jason Reid that Smith will...

Sidney Crosby, who is recovering from a concussion, will not go to Raleigh for the NHL All-Star Game this weekend. "The Penguins organization has decided that he will not attend the NHL All-Star Weekend and instead will continue to relax...

The Cincinnati Bengals have answered quarterback Carson Palmer, who reportedly wants to be traded. Bengals president Mike Brown confirmed Monday that Palmer requested a trade last week and added, "we are not trading Carson." "He is key to our plans,...

The instantaneous Twitter frenzy over Jay Cutler's inability to play beyond the first drive of the second half of the Chicago Bears' loss to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC championship game gave way to more measured reflection...

Redskins linebacker London Fletcher has been named to the Pro Bowl roster, replacing Brian Urlacher, who suffered an injury in the Chicago Bears' loss to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC championship game. "I am extremely honored to play...

Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey has started every game of his rookie season and, despite the high ankle sprain he suffered in the AFC championship game Sunday, he says he'll start Super Bowl XLV against the Green Bay Packers. "Most...

Quick snippets from locker-room interviews after the Pittsburgh Steelers' 24-19 victory over the New York Jets in the AFC championship game... PITTSBURGH STEELERS Ben Roethlisberger, who will be trying to win his third Super Bowl, on his thoughts after the...

Which former Redskins quarterback had the worse day in the NFL's championship games Sunday: Todd Collins or Mark Brunell? Collins briefly brought Toddball back to the league when Jay Cutler suffered a knee injury in the Chicago Bears' NFC loss...

Within moments after Jay Cutler came out of the Chicago Bears' NFC championship game against the Green Bay Packers because of a knee injury, the social-media second-guessing was seriously underway. And @jaycutlersheart was up and running on Twitter. (Bio:...

With 12 quarters of playoff football left, let's get going with live analysis, commentary and updates about today's NFL championship games between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears and the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. I'm taking the...

Quarterback Carson Palmer wants out of Cincinnati and reportedly will ask the Bengals to trade him. If the team does not do so, he is considering retirement. Palmer was unavailable to comment on the report, by ESPN's Chris Mortensen. Palmer...